local food economy

UPDATE: The panel discussion after the dinner service has been cancelled. We received this from Ryan Cappelletti, owner of Bartertown and CVLT, this morning:
"The dinner info is all the same: 5-10 p.m. one time menu featuring all fermented...

Earlier this year I went to a food blog conference in Chicago called "Eat, Write, Retreat." As part of the conference we participated in a food swap and learned tips for hosting one in our own community.
This experience reminded...

We all want everyone in our community to have access to good food. We all want to support our local farmers and food producers. Doing that well, however, comes with real and complex barriers and challenges. Two weeks ago, Levi Gardner, Founder and...

The Downtown Market has now been a part of our Downtown neighborhood for two years. Has it lived up to expectations? Does anyone dare to measure what’s working and what’s not?
Though its capacity and location still provide it with...

Zack Sklar, a leading Detroit-area chef known for restaurants including MEX and Beau’s in Bloomfield, Mich., will be bringing his Social Kitchen & Bar to the Downtown Market, after a 2012 opening of the first Social in Birmingham, Mich....

There is something really wrong with the idea of a national chain store opening being a sign of progress. Maybe we will really “hit it big” if a Cheesecake Factory opens downtown!) But that’s another story.
In the meantime, I would...

Wrapping up our assignment to try all of the Grandwiches, our team of four finishes with the offerings from the following establishments: Founders Brewing Company, Cottage Bar, J. Gardellas, HopCat, Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bar Company, SpeakEZ...

This week, four Rapidian reporters are trying every Grandwich they can in the first week of the competition. The Grandwich competition runs from Tuesday July 8 through July 27. Top 10 sandwiches are determined by public vote online, and on August 1...

With all the publicity surrounding the Fulton Street Farmers Market (FSFM) renovations, it’s easy to overlook the fact that plans to create a $28 million indoor-outdoor urban market in Grand Rapids’ Heartside District have been quietly...